Republican presidential problems

[RecycleMichael]

McCain will be the nominee of the GOP party. This will be confirmed after his big wins on Super Tuesday.

A large part of this problem for the republicans who don't support McCain is that the republicans purposely have primaries that are "winner take all". The democrats have proportional primaries which means that delegates are split among the voters based on either percentages of state votes cast or by other factors like congressional districts.

The republicans did it on purpose. They know that long drawn out primaries can create walls between normally like-minded voters and can also become expensive. That money spent in spring could be much better spent in the fall for the November general election. The entire plan was to have a nominee early and the biggest problem for many of my republican friends is that McCain isn't the one they want.

There are really three different republican parties right now. The fiscal conservatives who want less government, the security conservatives who believe the only true role of government is to protect us, and the social conservatives who want their religious beliefs followed and support candidates who lead through moral decisions.

These are often in conflict. How can you pay for an expensive war without raising taxes? If you believe abortion is wrong, how can you stop it without government intervention?

Each of the three factions have a candidate this time. McCain the war hero who stood by President Bush for Iraq, Romney as the fiscal one, having managed a large investment fund, and Huckabee, the Baptist preacher who inspires evangelicals to care about the messy game called politics.

The republicans normally find a candidate who they feel represents at least two of these three values. I am sure each of them do to a point. But this time, they race has a clear champion in each area and they just split the voters. McCain is winning, while only getting 40% of republicans, in my opinion mostly because of his longer time on the national stage. His nomination really irks the other 60% of republicans.

No one candidate can be all three this year. The only hope for republicans is to have a vice-president candidate that gets them one of the two areas that McCain doesn't.

It reminds me of food choices. You can get food any two of these ways...fast, cheap or good. Pick any two, but don't believe that all three are possible.

[Breadburner]

Lol...It's not a problem....They still are not going to vote for Hitlery......

[rwarn17588]

Just a theory ... McCain is leading in the GOP polls because he's less insane or less dumb than the other candidates.

Faint praise, to be sure. But ...

I think these GOP primaries are serving as the revenge of the moderate or traditional Republicans. I know of many Republicans who have been greatly dismayed by their party being hijacked by neo-conservatives (who favor pointless and expensive wars and torture), evangelicals (who value whether a candidate is Christian over all other prudent criteria) and the crazies (who want to nuke every Muslim nation or want to deport 20 million Hispanics, no matter how awesomely impractical these things are).

For the sane moderates, McCain is their most acceptable candidate.

It's sure a lot of fun watching some Republicans tie themselves in knots over the upcoming primaries. A few weeks ago, you would have thought Romney and Huckabee were Satan's offspring. How they're urging fellow Republicans to vote for them to stop McCain, who now apparently is an even-bigger Satan's offspring. Watching the incongruities develop is just delicious.

[guido911]

quote:Originally posted by rwarn17588

Just a theory ... McCain is leading in the GOP polls because he's less insane or less dumb than the other candidates.

Faint praise, to be sure. But ...

I think these GOP primaries are serving as the revenge of the moderate or traditional Republicans. I know of many Republicans who have been greatly dismayed by their party being hijacked by neo-conservatives (who favor pointless and expensive wars and torture), evangelicals (who value whether a candidate is Christian over all other prudent criteria) and the crazies (who want to nuke every Muslim nation or want to deport 20 million Hispanics, no matter how awesomely impractical these things are).

For the sane moderates, McCain is their most acceptable candidate.

It's sure a lot of fun watching some Republicans tie themselves in knots over the upcoming primaries. A few weeks ago, you would have thought Romney and Huckabee were Satan's offspring. How they're urging fellow Republicans to vote for them to stop McCain, who now apparently is an even-bigger Satan's offspring. Watching the incongruities develop is just delicious.

Yes, because the democrat primaries have been so boring and without any conflict....

[rwarn17588]

Of course there are conflicts. That's the nature of the beast with primary elections.

But, when you get down to it, there are very few differences in the platforms of the two remaining Democratic candidates. The only real differences are tone and style.

The GOP field, however, is all over the map.

[YoungTulsan]

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael

There are really three different republican parties right now. The fiscal conservatives who want less government, the security conservatives who believe the only true role of government is to protect us, and the social conservatives who want their religious beliefs followed and support candidates who lead through moral decisions.

Yeah buddy!!